Shabby Chic Shelving Tutorial

I've heard other miniature artists talk about how they use graph paper to make their designs and they won me over once I tried it for myself. Since I can't ever seem to cut on a straight line, using paper that takes care of that for me sounded perfect! The fence that I turned into shabby shelving in my Orange Blossom was created using the technique below.

First, I got out my paper, double sided tape and some wonderful shaped cocktail sticks that I once found in a dollar store. I then drew the curve for the top of the fence section on my paper. since the graph paper is marked in quarter inch increments, I could guarantee I was making it the exact size I wanted. I also used those marks to evenly space the fence posts. Two strips of double sided tape across that paper made sure everything stayed just how I placed it!
I wasn't worried about the bottom of each post not lining up; I simply drew a line using the graph paper as a guideline. I waited to cut the posts until after gluing the cross pieces but that was a mistake! So awkward to cut. Next time I will cut first and glue second. Below you can see that I created different size sections because originally they were to be fence sections for a particular area. I like them so much better for shabby chic shelving!
With a little paint and weathering, the were just right! Not bad for cocktail sticks, double stick tape, and a sheet of graph paper. :)